Orioles keep Mancini, Severino out of lineup; Mullins' improvement; Minor league playoff update - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff

Orioles keep Mancini, Severino out of lineup; Mullins’ improvement; Minor league playoff update

BALTIMORE—Trey Mancini was scratched as the Orioles’ designated hitter for Wednesday night after being in the original lineup. Mancini, who missed three games last week because of a sore oblique, left Tuesday night’s game after one at-bat because of right abdominal soreness.

“He took swings in the cage, and he still felt it,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re not going to push him on this. The right thing to do is to give him another day or two and evaluate it every single day. We’re not going to throw him out there if it still pulls a little bit, a sensitive area there in the oblique. Hopefully, he’ll be in there in the next day or two.”

Catcher Pedro Severino left Tuesday’s game after he jogged to first base on a double-play ball in the sixth inning because of upper leg/groin soreness. He’s also not in the lineup. Austin Wynns will catch.

“Severino’s a little bit better today, still a little bit sore,” Hyde said. “He’s day-to-day right now, but a little improved from last night.”

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The Orioles don’t have a third catcher on either the 26-man or 40-man roster. If they need to add one, Nick Ciuffo, who has made several trips with the team as part of the taxi squad, would probably be the choice as an additional catcher. A 40-man move would have to be made to add Ciuffo.

Hyde said a move was under consideration.

“I think if he wasn’t feeling any better,” Hyde said. “It was something we discussed last night if it was worse today or if it hadn’t improved, but it did. Right now, we’re staying with Sevy.”

Pat Valaika, who’s starting at shortstop, is the emergency catcher.

Mullins impresses Long: Cedric Mullins is one home run and two stolen bases away from becoming the first Oriole to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases. Hitting coach Don Long has been impressed with Mullins’ growth.

“For him to go from switch-hitting to just hitting from one side of the plate and what he’s been able to do, particularly against left-handed pitching because he hadn’t had that look for a long time, he’s so steady in his routine,” Long said. “He’s so steady in his approach. He’s a guy whose confidence really doesn’t waver from game to game.

“He doesn’t run to the bench and check the iPad the next inning to see if the umpire made a bad call on him or what he did wrong. He just knows what he wants to accomplish with his at-bat.”

Long says that Mullins’ power doesn’t surprise him.

“You never try to limit anybody,” Long said. “Certainly you know, he had the strength to do it … You could certainly see it in there. I didn’t necessarily think and put him in the book for having the ability to do that in-game. It’s something that’s developed over time, but he certainly had the raw power and strength to do that. The fact that he’s been able to do it in the game is something that emerges over time.”

Minor league playoff update: The Bowie Baysox, winners of nine straight, are in second place in Double-A Northeast, a half-game ahead of Somerset. The top two teams advance to the playoffs

The Baysox play Altoona on Wednesday night. Graysron Rodriguez will get the start.

Low-A Delmarva’s playoff hopes ended on Tuesday night. The Shorebirds and Low-A Aberdeen’s seasons end on Sunday.

Triple-A Norfolk’s season continues through October 3rd.

 

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